Eat well on a budget

An average ready-meal lasagne can cost £3.99 at the supermarket, and one portion can contain up to 632 calories. Add a cheesy garlic bread and a bottle of coke, and the cost rises to about £6.40. But the total cost of this convenience meal may be as bad for your waistline as your wallet, clocking up around 967 calories.

If you swap your microwave meal for a home-cooked alternative, you can save in calories and cash.

Method
For a low-cost meal for one, fry 100g of lean beef mince with half an onion, one garlic clove and a grated carrot. Stir in a tin of tomatoes and 100g of cooked pasta, sprinkle 30g of cheese on top and bake for 20 minutes.

For just £4.28 you can buy enough ingredients to feed four people, at just over £1 per person, and the calorie content per portion is just 703.

You save:
£5.29 and 264 calories.

Everyone enjoys a night in with an Indian takeaway, but a korma with rice and naan bread can amount to as many as 815 calories per portion. Buy it ready-made from a supermarket and you’ll pay around £5.13. Order it from a restaurant, and the price could be £8 to £10.

Making your own version is quick and easy, and at around £4.50 for four people, or £1.13 per person, it's also far cheaper.

Method
Fry some diced chicken breast pieces in as little oil as possible until golden brown. When it comes to the sauce, try a tomato-based sauce rather than one that is cream based and higher in fat. You can buy jars of ready-made sauce in supermarkets. Serve with 70g of basmati rice and a plain naan bread. One portion then adds up to just 576 calories.

You save:
£4 and 239 calories.

Pizza is a popular choice when you need a quick and easy bite to eat. But once you’ve loaded on the toppings and added a side order of potato wedges, it’s both expensive and fattening. The average takeaway pizza costs around £10, and if you add a fizzy drink and potato wedges it adds up to a massive 1,060 calories: that's almost half the daily allowance for a woman.

Method
Making your own pizza is fun and easy, and a ready-made pizza base can cost as little as 99p. All you have to do is add a couple of tablespoons of shop-bought passata sauce for a simple tomato topping. Top with slices from half a ball of mozzarella cheese and some chopped peppers and grill under a medium heat until the peppers are soft. The total cost is £2.91, and the calorie count is almost halved, at 688.

You save:
£7.09 and 372 calories.

All calorie counts are based on products from a leading supermarket. Products from other supermarkets may vary in price and calorie count, so use these values as an approximate guide only.

Follow these tips to make sure your diet is good for your body and your bank balance:

• Buy only enough fresh fruit and vegetables for the next couple of days, so they won’t end up going off in the bottom of your fridge.
• Remember, when it comes to fruit and veg, dried, frozen and canned (in juice, not syrup) are just as good as fresh.
• Grow your own ingredients: if you live in a flat, plant some herbs in a window box. They're easy to grow and a great way to add some quick and easy flavour to your meals cheaply. If you have a bigger garden, try planting low-maintenance vegetables, such as potatoes and carrots.
• Shop at local markets. They're often cheaper than supermarkets and offer a wide variety of fruit and vegetables.
• Buy fruit and vegetables that are in season: this usually makes them cheaper. For information on what’s in season, visit the Eat Seasonably website.

There are more ideas for healthy meals that you can make at home in Healthy recipes.

Learn more about healthy eating for you and your family in Food and diet.

Get information and advice on weight loss in Lose weight.